PESHAWAR: The parents of the students, who were killed by terrorists during Army Public School (APS) attack, have rejected the federal government’s proposed amnesty to proscribed Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and warned to continue protest demonstrations if the terrorists are given amnesty.

Holding photos of their martyred children, the parents held a protest demonstration outside Peshawar Press Club on Thursday.

They chanted slogans against President Arif Alvi, Prime Minister Imran Khan, Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi and Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmad.

The protesters said that federal government could announce conditional amnesty for TTP members if they gave up their extremist activities and surrender. They said that terrorists had taken lives of innocent people and they did not deserve any amnesty.

They said that ministers had soft corner for TTP which deeply hurt the parents of APS martyrs. “The rulers don’t realise what decisions they are going to take.

The killers of our children, personnel of law enforcement agencies and other Pakistanis do not deserve any kind of pardon,” they said.

The protesters also expressed their anguish over the escape of Ihsanullah Ihsan from custody, saying the Taliban spokesman himself admitted to be a facilitator in army public school tragedy but he escaped safely to surprise of the people.

APS Shuhada Forum president Advocate Ajoon Khan on behalf of the victims’ parents told journalist that government should brief the victims’ families on its plan to give amnesty to TTP.

He said that TTP was directly involved in merciless killing of the people including the students. He added that government should avoid adopting equivocal policy about the terrorists.

“The government will satisfy us as to who is killer of our children,” he said and added that the parents wanted nothing else except justice. He said that if the terrorists were pardoned then the APS victims’ families would hold the government responsible for neglecting the sacrifices of people, who lost their lives during the war against terrorism.

The members of Women Action Forum, a non-governmental organisation, also participated in the protest to show solidarity with the APS victims’ families.

Published in Dawn, October 8th, 2021